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Biodiversity

Saskatchewan encompasses an extraordinary range of unique features and ecosystems. They include native prairie grasslands, sand hills, wetlands, lakes, rivers, sparsely treed shield, bogs and forests. These ecosystems are home to a rich variety of living things including trees and grasses, large and small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish, birds, insects, mosses, lichens and even bacteria. This diversity of living things and the ecosystems of which they are a part is termed "biodiversity". A key concept of biodiversity is that every living thing, including people, has a connection to every other living thing and its environment.

Biodiversity is simply "the Variety of Life". Biodiversity includes all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms from the smallest of insects to the towering white spruce and the ecosystems and ecological processes of which they are a part.

Biodiversity conservation will never be complete, but instead will continue to evolve and grow as time passes and our resource needs and ecological understanding increase.

Saskatchewan strives to maintain a healthy environment for the thousands of native wild species that live in the province. Despite many programs focused on maintaining and enhancing wildlife populations, some species have been threatened with extinction and require special attention to help ensure their survival.

These protocols and data loadforms mostly have application to Species Detection surveys which are usually conducted in association with proposed development activities (e.g. roads, oil and gas extraction, mining, etc.). These protocols may also have application for assessing biodiversity and monitoring species population and distribution trends. We encourage individuals, groups and organizations who are interested in conducting biodiversity related studies to use the protocols and loadforms to ensure consistent data collection and facilitate data submissions to the SKCDC.

Data Loadforms have been developed to facilitate data entry in the field and submission to the ministry. Instructions on completing the data loadform are found within the form itself. Please check back periodically for survey protocol and data loadform updates.

Research PermitsUnder the authority of The Wildlife Act, 1998, the Ministry of Environment issues provincial Research Permits to study and work with wildlife in Saskatchewan. The Fish and Wildlife Branch in Regina is responsible for processing and issuing Research Permits related to the following activities: Academic Research; Bird Banding; Capture, Handling and Translocation, and; Species Detection.